Conventionally, there are known remote control transmitting devices, as remote-control transmitting devices for remotely controlling a video player device such as a DVD recorder, whereon a so-called “jog dial” annular dial key is attached to a case rotatably, and frame-by-frame or variable speed playback control of images recorded on the DVD recorder is performed in accordance with rotational operations of the dial key. (See, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2007-36508, page 3, lines 36 through 50, page 4, lines 26 through 32, FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 (“JP '508”))
In this type of remote control transmitting device, the control content (for example, power supply ON and OFF, Fast-Forward, Rewind, Play, etc.) is displayed on a displaying unit, such as a liquid crystal panel, and after selecting a control content using a Send key that is attached to the case separately from the dial key, then, if, for example, “Play” were selected, then control data in accordance with the angle of rotation by the rotational operation of the dial key is sent to the DVD recorder, to perform the frame-by-frame playback control of the recorded video.
Additionally, there is a known remote control transmitting device in which a liquid crystal panel and dial key are disposed to rise and set freely from the side of a case. (See, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2005-159639, Abstract, FIG. 5 (“JP '639”)) When selecting a specific controlled device, for example, selecting the specific controlled device from a plurality of controlled devices, the liquid crystal panel and dial key are risen, the dial key is operated rotationally to move a cursor to a specific controlled device to be controlled which is selected from a plurality of the controlled device displayed on the liquid crystal panel, and an input operation is applied to a decision key attached to the case to select the controlled device displayed at the cursor.
However, because a displaying unit for displaying a plurality of control content and a dial key are attached to a case in a rectangular shape separately on the upper side and lower side respectively, the remote-control transmitting device as set forth in JP '508 has its limits to be miniaturized. In case it is miniaturized so as to prevent the display unit and dial key from overlapping, dimensions of the dial key need to be smaller, and thus it becomes difficult to rotate the dial key in a fine angle of rotation of the dial key, causing the controlled device not to be controlled with fine rotational operation.
The remote control transmitting device as set forth in JP '639, in which a liquid crystal panel and dial key are disposed to rise and set freely from the side of a case, because the dial key is housed in a case, when not used, at least the dimensions become smaller than the case, consequently, in case the case is miniaturized, the controlled device cannot be controlled corresponding to fine rotational operation of the dial key.
Further, because the dial key is located apart from the displaying unit in either of remote-control transmitting devices, there is no relation between the rotational operation direction or rotational operation angle of the dial key and control content displayed on the displaying unit, and thus, the control content is not displayed correlating with rotational operation direction or angle of the dial key, causing the operator a sense of confusion when guiding the operations of the dial key.
The present invention is the result of contemplation on the conventional problem areas of this type, and the object thereof is to provide a remote control transmitting device that, regardless of the case size, performs fine rotational operation of a dial key and control finely the controlled device corresponding to fine rotating angle of the dial key.
An additional object is to provide a remote control transmitting device enabling rotational operation by checking rotational control operation on a displaying unit without a sense of unease and by matching the rotational direction or rotational angle of rotational operation of dial key to the rotational direction or rotational angle of the controlled device controlled by the rotational operation displayed on the displaying unit.